News of the Hearst case, redress and JACL leadership, April 1976

Vol. 82, No. 16, April 23, 1976. 4 pages. View this issue

News on the front page of this four-page issue ranged widely. KQED reported that Wendy Yoshimura drove a switch car in the Carmichael bank robbery, citing FBI interviews with Patty Hearst. President Ford nominated Judge Robert H. Takasugi to a federal court seat, and Sue Uyeda resigned as Eastern District Governor. Hank Sato wrote about Hawaii’s Honouliuli camp, a little-known site of the World War II incarceration (often called internment), where former internees recalled harsh conditions.

The commentary page carried Frank Chin on the film Farewell to Manzanar, Gordon Hirabayashi on a national campaign for reparations, and Edison T. Uno on the challenge of finding new JACL leadership before the national convention in Sacramento. Bill Hosokawa and Ross Harano also wrote columns, and nominations opened for the Masaoka award. Page 4 reported a second pilgrimage to the Tule Lake campsite, set for May 22-23, to rededicate a steel cross.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Chapter Spirit: Cortez JACL, by Lee Ruttle, page 1. Cortez JACL is recognized for one of its largest and most successful events. The chapter’s activities reflect strong community spirit.
• One-Day Student Boycott and Teacher Walkout Endorsed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese American Committee on Education endorsed a student boycott against San Francisco public schools over proposed layoffs that would hit minority staff. The protest was organized to oppose layoffs threatening affirmative action gains.
• Asian Americans Show Strength at Third World Writers Symposium, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cal State Sacramento hosted its second annual Third World Writers and Thinkers Symposium with Asian American participants. The event featured panels and discussions on Asian American literature and culture.

National

• Patty May Implicate Wendy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. KQED reported that Wendy Yoshimura drove a switch car in the April 1976 Carmichael bank robbery, citing FBI interviews with Patty Hearst. The San Francisco Examiner added further details implicating several others in the robbery.
• EDC Governor Uyeda Resigns, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sue Uyeda has resigned as Eastern District Governor citing personal reasons. Chapters will elect a successor from three vice governors.
• Ford Nominates Judge Takasugi to Federal Bench, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Ford nominated Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert H. Takasugi to a federal district court seat in California’s central district. If confirmed, Takasugi would be the first mainland Nisei named to the federal bench.
• Bicentennial Theme: A Sense of Belonging, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL and American Issues Forum sponsored a Japanese American panel in San Francisco on the Bicentennial theme of belonging. The forum was moderated by Cherry Tsutsumida.

Incarceration & Redress

• Honouliuli Internment Camp: Oahu Footnote to a Dark Chapter, by Hank Sato, page 1. Hawaii’s Honouliuli camp, near Pearl Harbor, held Japanese Americans during World War II, a fact little known even to residents. Former internees recall harsh conditions, guard relations, and the lasting effects of their detention.
• Mitose Appeal Denied, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California appellate court denied the appeal of James and Dorothy Mitose for a retrial in the murder of Frank Namimatsu. Their convictions were affirmed on March 25.

Commentary

• Farewell to Manzanar: Part V, by Frank Chin, page 2. Chin criticizes the film Farewell to Manzanar for presenting a white racist vision of Japanese Americans and for failing to portray Japanese American challenges to the camps. He compares it unfavorably to Go For Broke! and argues the film fails to meet even the modest standards set by earlier Hollywood portrayals.
• Risk of Ethnic Purity, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial criticizes Governor Jimmy Carter’s remarks about ethnic purity in a Bend, Indiana housing dispute as a form of racism dressed as ethnic pride. It argues his explanation did not undo the damage of the statement.
• Risk of Ethnic Humor, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial discusses the Polish American Congress’s unsuccessful effort to obtain equal time to respond to anti-Polish jokes broadcast on television. It notes the growing push for political and economic power among Polish Americans seeking to end ethnic stereotyping.
• Reparations, by Gordon Hirabayashi, page 2. Hirabayashi writes in support of the Pacific Southwest District and E.O. 9066 Inc. coordinating a national restitution campaign. He calls for broad support from groups and public figures to pursue justice for wartime incarceration.
• From the Notebook, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa reports on an NHK television team filming a five-part program on mid-America for the Bicentennial, and notes a Japanese-language guide at the Denver Museum of Natural History. He also describes a traveling photo exhibit of Japanese American history and a University of California call for WRA camp art and writing.
• Senate Bill 1, by Ross Harano, page 2. Harano urges JACL members to write to senators and congressmen opposing Senate Bill 1, which he argues threatens civil rights and protest through vaguely drafted curbs. He criticizes its reliance on punishment after crimes rather than prevention.
• Minority of One: The Challenge, by Edison T. Uno, page 2. Uno argues that JACL faces a leadership crisis as it approaches the 24th Biennial Convention, with uncertain interest in staff and officer positions. He calls for developing new leadership to ensure the organization’s survival.
• Masaoka Award Nominations Open, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nominations are being solicited for the biennial Mike M. Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award, to be presented at the June National JACL Convention in Sacramento. The award honors individuals or organizations contributing to Japanese American or public welfare causes.

Military & Veterans

• Steel Cross at Tule Lake Campsite to Be Rededicated, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Japanese Christian Church Federation will hold a second pilgrimage to the Tule Lake WRA campsite on May 22-23 to rededicate a steel cross erected by former residents. The event includes a memorial service and recognition of the 1976 Bicentennial.

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